The Forgotten Ones
by Lilliana Greenleaf
Summary: Harel doesn't remember anything before waking up in a dungeon cell. She knows everyone else's secrets, as a truth-seer, but she doesn't know her own. Her own secret, an ancient one, might be the world's undoing. Will she remember? Or will everything fall, because the Protector failed?
1. Chapter 1

Everybody has secrets they wish to hide from the world. Some just happen to be darker than others.

Her true name was Sal'laimen, and she was the one that the Dread Wolf forgot, thought dead, or both. That was her secret, even though she didn't know it. She didn't remember anything from before the Conclave. The rest of the world knew her as Harel. Her story does not start at the beginning. It starts at the end.

Harel awoke in a cold, dark cell. The stone underneath her drew every little bit of heat out of her body. She shivered helplessly, rattling the chains that held her in place. A soft light pierced the edge of her vision as she opened her eyes. She first spotted a torch, which was the source of the light. Then she spotted the woman looking down at her with a scowl.

"Cassandra..." The name escaped Harel's lips before she could stop it. She was a vindhru-itha, a truth-seer, and she knew what people wanted to hide most. Normally, she hides this fact to make people think that she is normal, but in her wretched and amnesic state, she let the name slip.

"How do you know my name?" Cassandra's first question didn't mask her surprise. Harel just laid her head back down on the stone. "Hurts..." Her hand was killing her, like a thousand tiny needles filled with melting acid being slowly pushed into her hand and being wriggled around mercilessly. What had happened? Who was she? All she remembered was some basic facts about the world, and that she was called Harel.

Cassandra crossed her arms. "Who are you, and why did you kill the Divine?" Harel blinked. "What?" She sat up with much effort, wincing as the chains bit into her. "What are you talking about?" Cassandra growled and lifted Harel up by her shirt roughly. "Don't play dumb with me." Harel defended herself, "I seriously don't know!" Cassandra set her down. "You blew up the Conclave, murdered the Divine, and walked out of the fade." Harel tilted her head. "The Fade? I remember no such thing. As for the Conclave, the last thing I remember was walking through the forest on my way to it." That much was true. Her only memory, besides the world facts and her name, was of a forest illuminated by the moon. She quickly came up with a story explaining why she was headed there, since she didn't know the real one. Her form was an elf, so she quickly made herself Dalish. "I was sent by my clan," she chose the first clan name to pop into her head, "clan Lavellan, to spy on the Conclave, but I don't remember anything after that." The last part was true. She had no memory of anything except her stop in the forest for a rest.

Cassandra clearly didn't believe her. However, the spy Leliana stepped in. "Cassandra, quell your anger. There are some calling her the Herald of Andraste. You'd be wise to listen to her. I believe that she doesn't remember. She has been out for a few weeks now. We need her." Cassandra sighed and turned back to Harel. "Do you at least know of the Breach?" Harel shook her head in response. Cassandra explained the state of the Breach to her, and Harel agreed to help in any way she could. It was all she could do.

Cassandra took off the metal clamps around Harel's wrists and replaced them with thick ropes. Harel winced at the ropes digging into her skin, but she didn't complain. It was certainly better than the metal that drained her warmth. She wondered why she was so cold.

It was cold outside, cold enough to make Harel's teeth chatter in her thin shirt and leggings. Her mercenary's armor had been confiscated, along with any warmth it offered. Yes, it was cold, but the looks she got were colder. These people truly believed that she had done something awful. She would just have to prove them wrong.

After a brief conversation with a guard, Harel was untied and allowed to have her armor back, for protection, since she was going to go up to the gates that led to the mountain pass and the valley, both leading to the breach. She wasn't allowed to have weapons, however, which was understandable, since they thought she was a criminal. She doubted it, but for all she knew, she could be.

They left the safety of the gates and ventured out into the cold, cold Frostback mountains. Harel looked up at the swirling sky. It was beautiful, in a dark way. Harel admired it for a moment before Cassandra barked at her to get a move on. She hurried after the warrior.

Then they came across demons: a shade and a wraith. Cassandra went after the shade, but Harel had no defense against the wraith. She looked around as it drew closer. She saw some discarded weapons nearby. She dove for the twin daggers sitting in the snow. She slashed at the wraith. With a screech, it vanished.

Then she felt cold steel at her neck. "Drop your weapons," Cassandra demanded. Harel frowned a bit. "Relax, will you? I need a way to defend myself. You cant be everywhere at once." The sword slowly moved away from her neck, but Cassandra threatened, "if I even suspect you of betrayal..." She left the threat unfinished as she sheathed her sword, but her point was clear enough. Harel gulped and nodded, putting on a show of fear, though for some reason, she wasn't scared of Cassandra.

They made their way up the mountain, then Harel spotted a glowing green light that writhed in the air and spat out demons. Some soldiers were fighting it, along with a mage and a dwarf with a crossbow. Cassandra and Harel joined them in the fight against the demons. They seemed endless, crawling out of the green tear.

The mage them grabbed Harel's wrist, and shoved her palm in the direction of the light. Harel was frozen, the pain agonizing, but as she watched, the tear closed, and the mage let go.

"What was that?!" Harel cried out once she had recovered enough to speak. The mage answered with a smooth, wise voice, "that was a rift in the fade." "How did you close it?" Harel asked. He answered, "The credit is yours. I theorized that your mark would close it, and I was correct."

Harel was astonished. Then the dwarf spoke up. "I'm Varric. It's a good thing you arrived when you did." Harel smiled a bit. "What a lovely crossbow." Varric grinned and glanced affectionately at the bow slung across his back. "Bianca and I have been through a lot together." They had a brief conversation about the bow, then the mage interrupted. "If there are to be introductions, my name is Solas." _Pride?_ Harel thought, but kept her face neutral. She put on a polite smile. "Harel."

Cassandra bickered with Varric, which Harel found quite amusing. Then they headed off together.

They made it to the bridge, whee they met Chancellor Roderick. Immediately, Harel didn't like him. However, there were more important matters at hand. She listened quietly to the conversation about her guilt, then about which path to take to get to the Breach. Harel got a bit worried when they mentioned missing soldiers.

Then Cassandra turned to her. "What do you think?" Harel was a bit surprised. "You're asking me?" Cassandra sighed, "we can't seem to agree." Harel thought about the two options. There would be casualties in the valley either way, and that made her feel guilty, but if they took the mountain pass, there was a chance of survival for the scouts.

"Take the mountain path." Harel finally answered. Cassandra didn't seem too pleased with her answer, but she accepted it. The Chancellor seemed upset, but Harel wrote it off as him just being a cranky pain in the arse.

They headed up the mountain pass. Harel got a bit exhausted climbing all of the ladders. Of course, she went first, so she had to brush off all the snow and had to kick off the ice as she climbed. Her hands were raw from being bare from the ice by the time they finally got to the old mine shaft. She was freezing, and shivered visibly. She got a sympathetic look from Varric. "This isn't really the place for a cold-natured woman, is it?" Harel smiled with chattering teeth and shook her head. Varric patted her back and said, "you'll warm up once we get fighting again." Harel hoped so.

The mine was dark and filled with demons. Varric was right, Harel felt a bit warmer after fighting them off. They made it safely through the mine, only to find three dead soldiers. Harel knelt down, her chest twisting in pain. It was a familiar feeling, but she didn't know why. One was clutching a dagger tightly. She took it from his frozen hand and dropped one of her own in favour of it.

"There's your missing scouts," Varric commented. Cassandra said, "this isn't all of them." "The rest must be holed up ahead."

Harel wasted no time in leading the way. They soon came across the rest, fighting desperately for their lives. The small band helped the scouts fight off the demon, and Harel closed the rift.

The scout leader thanked them profusely, then Cassandra told them to get to safety. Meanwhile, Harel stared up at the rift. Solas's voice startled her. "It's quite a sight." That was a neutral comment if she ever heard one. His voice held a bit of respect for the tear in the sky, and a bit of concern. Harel nodded in agreement. "I wonder how it happened."

"There are easier ways to make something explode," Varric commented as they made their way towards the breach. Cassandra said something, but Harel was no longer paying attention. They had come to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. The sight nearly brought Harel to her knees. The bodies were frozen in time, charred into statues, the fear and agony frozen on their blackened faces forever.

"Who did this?" Harel whispered, anger burning in her gut. She clenched her fist. A hot tear ran down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away before the others could see.

She felt like she had failed someone, or something. She wasn't sure which.

They made their way to the breach, where some soldiers from the valley joined them. Solas studied the glittering rift. No demons were pouring out of it at the moment. "It's closed, albeit temporarily. We'll have to open it to seal it safely. However, opening it is bound to attract attention from the other side." Cassandra nodded and shouted orders at the soldiers to be prepared. Harel held up her left hand and opened the breach.

What came crawling out of it scared the life out of her.

A pride demon, bigger than any she had ever seen (not that she remembered seeing any), let out a deep, wicked laugh that resonated throughout the temple ruins. Several shades followed it. "Attack!" Cassandra shouted, and all at once, the demon was under fire.

Harel mostly stayed out of reach of the giant demon. She fought the shades, then went to the rift. She disrupted it, stunning the pride demon. She then slashed at it's ankles and did her best to help the fight.

She didn't expect the giant clawed hand to smack her back with enough force to fling her into the temple wall.

Surprisingly, she wasn't hurt. Winded, maybe, but not hurt. Solas glanced at her, and she realized he must have put a barrier on him. Now that she looked, everyone within range of the demon's attacks had a shimmering blue hue to them. Harel was grateful.

Once the demon was defeated, she closed the rift. However, the breach remained, but she was too exhausted to do anything about it. Her mark stopped throbbing painfully, and the last thing she heard was a gentle congratulations from a familiar wise voice.

Then she fainted into the ashes.


	2. Chapter 2

Harel woke to a door opening and soft grunting, as if the person opening the door was having trouble. She slowly opened her eyes, looking around the room. She was in a small wood cabin. She sat up slowly, groaning a bit at the sudden shift in her head, and rubbed her eyes.

Then she heard the sound of a crate dropping, and a startled cry.

"Oh, forgive me, my lady!" The person, a female elf, seemed startled, almost afraid. She dropped to her knees and hands, begging forgiveness. Harel was overwhelmed. "Calm down, are you alright?" "I'm just clumsy, miss." The woman then told her about the Herald of Andraste, and how people believed that she was sent by the Maker. Harel thought it was ridiculous, so she shook her head. "That's-" The woman stood abruptly. "Cassandra wanted to know when you woke up right away! I'll go tell her." The nervous woman rushed out.

Harel looked at the contents of the crate. Her head was killing her, so she drank one of the elfroot potions and instantly felt better. She tucked a couple into her pocket and looked around the room. She found some doctor's notes that seemed to describe her as a hopeless case. She couldn't wait to meet this doctor.

Harel wandered out of the cabin. Everyone who saw her directed her towards the Chantry at the top of the hill, so that was where she went. She was relieved when she discovered that Cassandra no longer found her to be guilty. That relief soon vanished when she discovered that the breach had not been sealed, but merely calmed, no longer spitting out demons. However, they still had to find a way to close it.

She also met Commander Cullen, Josephine, and was re-introduced to Spymaster Leliana.

Thus, the Inquisition was born.

Harel was given leave to roam Haven freely, so she decided to go learn more about her companions. It seemed that she would be with them for a while, after all.

First she went to Varric, since he was easy to find. He had made a good impression on her, and she was interested in his sense of humor. "Hello, Varric," she began, watching him squat beside the fire. He looked over his shoulder and stood. "Hey there," he paused, seeming to ponder something intensely. Harel watched quietly. He started, like he had an idea, then shook his head.

"Having trouble?" She asked, slightly amused. He nodded and clarified, "I've been trying to come up with a nickname for you, since I'm betting that we'll be here a while, but I can't think of one. I asked Chuckles, but he told me that I was being ridiculous." Harel raised an eyebrow. "Chuckles?" "Solas," Varric clarified, earning a soft laugh from Harel. "And what do you call Cassandra?" "Seeker. Though that's hardly a nickname." Varric chuckled. "Cullen is Curly, Leliana is Nightingale, Josephine is Ruffles, but I can't think of one for you. Everyone I come up with just doesn't fit." Harel smiled. "I'm flattered. Perhaps I can help you?" Varric shook his head. "nah, I have to do it, or it won't be the same. Anyway, what do you think of all this mess?"

Harel scoffed a bit. "Honestly, this is a load of Bullshit. Andraste's Herald? I'm not even Andrastian." Varric seemed surprised, then he grinned. "You got that right. The world ending? Big tear in the sky? It's all crazy." Harel nodded in agreement.

They chatted for a while, and Harel learned a good bit about Varric, and red lyrium. She also learned that he was hiding something, but she had forgotten how to find out what it was. She looked up at the sky, then back at him. She focused, then something came to her.

A woman.

Harel blinked, wondering what in the name of the Maker had she just seen? She shook her head to clear it, then stood. "I'm going to go greet the others properly. I'll see you later, Varric." Varric nodded and waved, "come see me soon."

Harel looked at the sky again. It was early on in the evening. She headed out of the gates to see Cassandra and Commander Cullen training, though they were not training together. Cassandra was off to the side, slashing at dummies, while Cullen was shouting things at soldiers who were training. "You've got a shield, use it! If that man were your enemy, then you'd be dead!" Harel decided to approach him first, curious about the man that Varric called 'Curly.'

"Ah, good evening, Herald." She internally groaned at the title. She decided to have a bit of fun. "Good evening, Curly." He sighed, "I see you've been talking to the dwarf." She nodded.

The conversation went well from there. They talked about training, and about the people he worked with, then they moved onto the Templar order. Harel quickly discovered how easy it was to embarrass Cullen. She liked him. He was valiant, open, and honest. He was unable to hide how he felt, shown by the blush that conquered his face every time she said anything that could be somewhat suggestive.

Eventually their conversation ended, on a good note, and Harel wished him a good evening. Next, she talked to Cassandra. She learned a bit more about her and the Seekers, and was intrigued by the stories surrounding her, exaggerated as they were. She was glad that Cassandra no longer blamed her for the Divine's death.

She went back up to the Chantry and greeted Josephine. That conversation was short, as Josephine was very busy, but Harel didn't mind. She wandered out of the Chantry, with a vague feeling like she didn't belong in it, and briefly wondered where Solas was.

The sun was setting by the time she found him, at the top of the hill, gazing up at the breach with his hands crossed in front of him. She took another step up the stairs and he seemed to spot her. His gaze shifted from the breach down to her. "You're awake." He smiled a bit, as if relieved. "Good."

Harel spent over an hour talking to him. She was fascinated by him, by his very existence. She was entranced by his adventures in the fade. It seemed to please him that she didn't think it was odd, or worse, something to be feared. She also flirted with him, though he returned her comments with cordial grace. She enjoyed it. She left with a comment about how she hoped that they would get along. It was dark by then.

This all seemed so normal to her. Not the breach in the sky, of course, but talking to all of these new people, having a sense of being part of something bigger than herself. She enjoyed the thought as she headed back to her quarters.

Once there, she caught sight of herself in a mirror. She had red hair, the colour of blood, which was a bit unusual to her. She touched it, as if touching something foreign: with great care and awe. Her eyes were hazel, clear as crystal. On her left ear, near the point, there was a small silver cuff around it, with some rune carved into it. Though she couldn't remember anything about her past self, she could easily read it.

"Protector."

* * *

Sorry this chapter was total crap. It will get better, I promise, I'm just setting up the story now. I hope you all are ready for heartbreak and tragedy, because that's my specialty. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Protector.

"What does that even mean?" Harel leaned closer to the mirror to make sure she was reading it right. Her vallaslin caught her eye, drawing her attention from the rune. It was like a mask of branches that wrapped around her eyes. She knew what it meant. "This is the vallaslin of Mythal." She wondered how she had gotten it. She knew she probably wasn't Dalish, as she had claimed to be to save her neck, but she supposed it was possible. "Where did I come from?"

Maybe her body held more clues? She checked her clothes, not the ones she was wearing, but the ones she had been found in that laid in a chest by the bed. They were composed of a simple mercenary coat, thick wool pants, made for warding the cold, and worn leather boots. She picked up the leather boots first. They were soft from years of wear, and there was a hole in the toe of the left one. They gave no clues as to who she was, other than how unusually thin they were.

Next she picked up the pants. The only thing in the roughly sewn pockets was a small silver chain. She picked it up carefully, because it was very thin. It was a beautiful thing. "How unusual... why do I have a thing like this? There's no pendant either..." She tucked it in the pocket of the pants she was wearing and picked up the mercenary coat. The armor on it was light, made for movement instead of protection, which seemed reasonable, due to her skills as a rogue. There was nothing in its folds that gave her any clue. She resided to ignorance when she looked in the chest again. A small leather bag sat in the bottom. It had been hidden under the coat.

Harel pick it up, peering inside of it. It was clear that it had been riffled through, because everything was a mess, hastily shoved back into place. They must have searched it when they found her. She poured the contents onto the bed. It didn't have much in it, just a folded piece of parchment that had been hidden in a side pocket (no doubt hidden when they had searched the bag), a small blue book bound in a soft material, like old leather, some runes carved into little pieces of wood, a bundle of small vines with little blue flowers, a water skin, and a little silver ball. She looked at the wood pieces first. She could read all of them. "Little, safe, silent, dark, light, warm, cold," there was an unusual mix of seemingly pointless words, but the one that crossed her eye was one that had a rune on both sides. On one side, was the word Protector, like the one on her earring. On the other, was Defender, but there was a line through it, as if it had been crossed out. "Odd..." She put the pieces back in the bag.

She picked up the parchment next. She carefully unfolded it. It was a letter, and a few places were stained with what appeared to be tear drops. She sat down in a chair by the bed and began to read.

 _My dearest Sal,_

 _You must know that what is to pass is not your fault._

 _I must thank you for your undying loyalty, and I know that in my last moments, I will still hear your voice. Never before have I loved someone so dearly, and I am loathe to leave you now, but I must, for your own good and for the good of the world. You will be angry, more with yourself than anyone, and you will feel guilty, but I must remind you again that there is nothing you can do._

 _My sweet, sweet child, you have protected me well. Now, I must ask of you the impossible task. Will you protect the world, no matter what it becomes? I know it is much to ask, and it is impossible, but if anyone can do it, it is you. I wish I didn't have to leave you like this, when you are still so young and have so little control, but I believe you will learn to control your power without my guidance. For the good of the world, you must._

 _I have something to tell you. I know you don't remember who you were before I found you, but I think it's time you knew. You are not an elf. What you are is of a much older sort, and you are the last. There are few who would know what you are if you choose to reveal it, but those that do know may try to use your power. You must be cautious._

 _I have no other way to say it, other than bluntly. You are-_

The rest of the letter was ruined. It appeared that the ink had been smeared by water. Probably melted snow. Harel growled with frustration. Who was this Sal? Why did Harel have this letter? What was this ancient secret that was so precious? Who had written this letter? So many questions swirled around. Harel gently folded the letter and put it back in its side pouch. Then she kicked a table. "Damn it!" The letter had only made her more confused.

She picked up the silver ball next. It fit perfectly in her palm, her fingers just touched when wrapped around it. It was cool to the touch. It seemed normal, just a little ball made of silver, but then it started humming, like a singing bowl. The hum made Harel relax, her ears seemed to strain towards the sweet sound. After a while, the pitch changed, and a soft song was played. "Is this some kind of magic?" She murmured to herself. She sat down on the bed, feeling at peace, then the ball stopped humming at the end of the song. Harel smiled. "I have no idea what you are, but you're a pretty little thing." She gently tucked it back in the bag.

Next she picked up the little book. For some reason, she felt wary about opening it. It seemed to whisper to her, drawing her in, but she felt like she couldn't open it right then. It was about the size of her hand up to the second knuckle on her ring finger, and as wide as her palm, so she tucked it into her pocket to look at later.

The water skin was just a water skin, and it was empty, so she put it back in the bag. Next, she picked up the bundle of vins. "How strange..." Why did she have this? The sage was very much alive, like it was still growing. It was wrapped in a ball, which was exceptionally odd. She tried to move the leaves aside, but they seemed adverse to revealing what was inside them. Harel frowned, but she didn't want to ruin anything that might give her a clue about who she was, so she tucked it carefully back in the bag.

Harel sighed softly and put the bag back in the chest. She then took the little book back out of her pocket. A strap of leather held it shut. On the leather strap was the simple imprint of the elvish letter M. She turned it over. On the back, there was a simple imprint of the elvish letter S. She wondered what it meant. Maybe this belonged to the Sal mentioned in the letter, but if that was the case, what did the M stand for? She resolved to open it. She put on a warm coat and headed out into the night, sneaking past the guards, out into the forest beyond Haven. In her concentrated and determined state, she didn't hear the soft crunch in the snow of someone following her.

She found a clearing and cleared some snow out of the middle, then sat down on her knees and set the book in her lap. She didn't feel so adverse to opening it now. She slid her finger under the leather strap. The book felt like it was beckoning her. She removed the strap. Power seemed to seep from the book, eager to escape into the world. This didn't feel like magic, this felt like the raw essence of power itself.

She opened the book.

The snow in the clearing was blown away, with Harel at the epicenter of the blast. The trees swayed as if a storm was passing over. The clearing seemed to roar, the ground underneath Harel shook, then everything fell completely silent. The grass around Harel sprung up as if it were spring, the evergreen trees seemed greener than ever, and she even spotted a ring of small blue flowers around her. Harel let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She looked down at the first page of the book. It was blank.

Harel nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice. "They spent hours trying to get that book open. They even tried to cut through the leather, but the knife broke. No wonder it didn't want to open." She looked over her shoulder. Varric seemed less than pleased about being blasted with snow. His chest hair was frosty. Harel began to laugh. "You look a little cold there, my friend." Varric let out a little 'hmph' and walked over to sit beside her, just outside the ring of blue flowers. "I'm no herbalist, but I've never seen flowers like those. What exactly is that book?" Harel shrugged and looked down at it. "I have no clue, but it's empty." She flipped through the pages. There was absolutely nothing in it. All of the pages, the colour of cream, were blank.

"That's unusual. You should have seen how frustrated Chuckles was when he couldn't open it. He wouldn't tell us why. If I were you, I'd go tell him right away." Varric sighed and leaned back on his hands. "Tell me the truth, you're not Dalish, are you?" Harel felt like she could trust Varric, but just in case, she made him promise not to tell Cassandra. After he swore gladly, she said, "honestly, I don't know. Truly, the only memory I have is walking in the forest on the way to the Conclave. I don't know why, or who I was; I don't remember anything, except for Harel, which I assume is my name." Varric nodded; he seemed to believe her.

"Guess what?" Varric changed the subject. Harel glanced at him. "What?" Varric grinned cheekily. "I came up with a nickname for you." Harel smiled, excited to hear what he came up with. "Ooh, what is it?" Varric cleared his throat. "I dub thee Wings." Harel snorted, "Wings? Why?" Varric explained, "because you remind me of some sort of fairy, and you always look like you glide, rather than walk, like you have wings, and wings are supposed to be pretty and delicate, but in some stories they're strong and used to smack people." Harel laughed, "that's quite fitting! Well done, Varric."

Harel closed and bound the book. She and Varric walked back together. "I'll tell Solas in the morning about the book. I wonder if it will explode again." Varric chuckled. "I can't sense magic, being a dwarf, but I suppose that's about as magical as you can get. Good luck hiding that from Seeker and Curly." Harel smiled and waved, heading back to her own room. Exhausted by the day's events, she went right to sleep.

But she didn't sleep peacefully. The Fade had other plans for her.


	4. Chapter 4

Harel was trapped in a sickly green mist. The ground beneath her was soft, and she felt like she was sinking in. She tried to cry for help, but a hand appeared over her mouth. She began to panic. Then she heard a voice in her ear, wonderfully soft and familiar. "Hush now, my sweet, I must warn you." She tried to turn to see who was speaking, but the hand moved from her mouth to her cheek, and one rested on her other, gently but firmly holding her head in place. "I know you are scared and confused, but you must endure." Harel realized the voice, a female voice, wise, ancient, and tender, was speaking elvish, and it was more familiar to her than common was.

"You must know that you cannot lose control." "Over what?" Harel was shushed again. "You cannot lose control. You must keep your heart guarded, you must remain detached, you must have patience. The silver ball will help you. Carry it wherever you go, and it will keep you calm." Harel wanted to know why, but the woman continued speaking. "You will have to chose between this world and your own. You must be wise in your decisions, and you must be very careful. You will not get a second chance to make things right. Your actions are permanent."

Harel found herself leaning her head into one of the hands. A thumb stroked her cheek fondly. "My sweet, precious darling, you will remember yourself in due time. Also, I have a warning for you." Harel paid attention. She felt like she knew this woman very well, though she had no memory of it. The woman spoke again. "You must not show Solas the inside of the book." Harel blinked. "You must never let him, or anyone else, know that you have power over such a thing, and if possible, they mustn't know that you have it at all. Varric will find himself unable to speak about it to anyone except for you and anyone else who knows of it's contents, but your tongue will be free, and you must control it. I know it appears to be empty, but I assure you, it is not."

Harel decided to take her advice. She nodded a bit. "Good," she could hear the woman's smile. "You will be tried soon, and you will be tortured. I wish I could prevent it, but I cannot. You must be cautious. I know you are weak and full of love for the world, but you must make a choice. Your love can only have one subject, you will not be able to split it for long. Sacrifices will have to be made. My poor sweetheart, I wish I could help you. Just know that I am close."

The hands were gone, and Harel was alone. The mist cleared. She whipped around, but there was no one there. She was in a marshy forest, the trees looming overhead, the ground beneath her bubbling, and everything was tinted green. "The Fade," she knew, even if she had no memories. "I'm dreaming." She began to walk. The ground sank under her feet, but she didn't get stuck. She blinked, and the scene changed. She was in the Temple of Sacred Ashes. No one was around, but it was the temple nonetheless, before it had been blown to bits and the land blackened beyond repair. She walked around, finding all of the doors locked. The silence was overwhelming. She made it to the main hall. A lone figure stood in the center.

"Solas." She quietly called out to him. He turned to face her. "Ah, Harel." He smiled in greeting. She walked over to him. He spoke plainly, "this is the temple before the explosion. I had hoped to find some clues about what had happened, but there are none. Just an empty shell." Harel thought for a moment, then theorized, "perhaps this mark destroyed any memories that might have been left, except for the shell of the place." Solas nodded, "you are likely correct." He let out a soft sigh. "Now, tell me why you are here." Harel replied honestly, "I don't know. I was walking in a marsh, and I blinked, and I ended up here. None of the other doors would open, so I made my way here."

Solas looked at her for a long moment, then turned away. "It's almost time to get back." Harel tilted her head. "Are you sure? I haven't been asleep that long." Solas smiled coyly, "I have something I wish to ask you about, and I wish to ask you when we are in the real world." Harel groaned, "can't it wait until morning." "No." Solas seemed quite firm, so Harel relented. Solas patted her shoulder, "it's time for you to _wake up._ "

Harel sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. "How odd... I wonder what he wants." She stood and stretched, her feet cold on the wooden floor. She pulled on some socks and lit a candle. A few minutes later, there was a knock on her door. She opened it, smiling at Solas, who apologized for such a disturbance, but his matter seemed urgent, so she let him in.

"I understand that you have a book among your things." Harel nodded, she had tucked it back in the satchel. Solas sat down in a chair. "Will you show it to me?" Harel figured that there was nothing wrong with that. She remembered the woman's warnings, and resolved to not open it in front of him. She got the book out of the satchel in the chest and handed it to him. He turned it over in his hands. "Can you open it?" Harel shook her head. Solas seemed a bit disappointed. "Do you even know what it is?" Harel shook her head again and sat on the edge of the bed.

Solas handed her the book. She set it aside and looked at him, hands folded on her lap. He looked like he wanted to speak. She waited patiently. Eventually, he just sighed and stood. "My apologies, I have kept you up for far too long. By all means, go back to sleep. Good night, Lavellan." She watched him go, and felt a bit sad. Something was off.

Why did he look so pained?


End file.
